The Phoenician Sonnets

Phoenicians are amazing. Sea farers, artisans and entrepreneurs from Lebanon around 1000 BCE, they had bit parts in the Bible, Homer and Egyptian and Roman history then pop out of ancient books on great adventures, spreading trade and ideas across the Mediterranean and contributing to the development of global civilisation. They had an impact on humanity that we still benefit from, and learn from, today. We also explore their dark side: slavery, child sacrifice and institutional prostitution. This book is unlike any other: it is an epic poem, a travel guide, a history book, a self-help manual, an auto-biographical memoir and a speculative political essay. It is told in 54 sonnets with footnotes, maps and illustrations guiding the reader through Phoenician history and culture, along their trading routes from China to the Baltic and into the origins of the alphabet, art, religion, philosophy, science, democracy and the colour purple plus much more. It’s educational, mind-expanding and fun.